When I
moved into my own house on family land, I asked my father to
help me plant a breadfruit tree in my yard. It was a third
generation plant by way of my uncle. My father asked me what I
was going to do with all the breadfruit. I planned to eat
some and give some away. The first year the breadfruit
fruited, I was able to keep up with giving away the fruits on
my small tree by taking it to friends, to the food bank and to
any one else who was interested. By the second year, the tree
had more than doubled in size and I had more than I needed or
could give away. So began the annual Ulu dinners.
On the
eve of the 5th Annual Ulu Dinner, while the ulu
tree is bearing flowers and ulu tree is about to fruit once
more, the collection of what has become known as the ulu
recipes, is now a book. Our dinners have become the Ulu
Festival with the few claiming attendance to all dinners as
“charter members”. The ulu pastelles have became the annual
favorite served with a traditional meat filling and a
vegetarian filling. Ulu latkes come in a close second but ulu
"artichoke" is always the now comer's surprise.
This
book embodies the spirit of joining together and the years of
sharing our stories of the best, ulu we ever had including
Roasted Ulu, the skin burnt but inside sweet and ulu packed
tight in the pot cooked with coconut milk until sticky, ulu
custard pie and ulu ice cream. Comfort food at its finest.
Also
included are substitutions for dairy and soy milk and lower
sugar alternatives. Vegetarian and Vegan recipes are also can
be found.
Breadfruit continues to be used as a primary food source in
the Pacific Islands of Micronesia and Polynesia (Tahiti,
Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, Mauritius, Cook Islands, Mariana Islands,
Marquesas, Society Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and
Yap). Breadfruit is also found in Indonesia, Philippines, the
Seychelles, the Caribbean and in Africa. It was used In
Hawaii more for its plant products including wood
for buildings and canoes, fiber for cloth and latex as an
adhesive for catching birds and caulking canoes.